Ananya Gupta, a PhD student from the LKC School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, undertook a career development placement with the School of Public Health, Imperial College London, supported by the iHealth T2D, COV-Ind-UK and NIHR 132960.

“It was hugely beneficial for me to interact with the South Asian population in the UK”.

I have previous experience in carrying out field work in South Asia on an extended protocol of the one implemented in this placement. However, it was hugely beneficial for me to interact with the South Asian population in the UK as this context was entirely new to me. In my PhD work too I am analysing data of the migrant population in the UK and I find it invaluable to have field experience collecting data of the population one is analysing as it allows for a much deeper contextualisation of the results and even unexpected trends that are uncovered.

“My placement included inviting the participants for the study via telephone, coordinating the data collection with research nurses and technicians and managing the data storage and quality control”.

The objectives of the placement were achieved as 75% of the participants of the cohort were followed up despite the challenges posed by disruptions to access to healthcare due to the COVID-19 pandemic.